There could soon be three vacancies on the Clearfield Borough Council, as the mayor and two council members recently announced their resignations.
Tristen Buck, a council member, resigned earlier this year because of time conflicts with his job. But, within the past week, both Mayor Mason Strouse and Dennis Biancuzzo, another council member, announced their intentions to resign. They blame threatening and harassing messages from community members.
The council recently voted to disband their regional police department, sparking tension both in and out of council meetings.
The Borough Council as a whole hasn’t yet accepted Strouse and Biancuzzo's resignations. James Dennison, the borough’s solicitor, told WPSU it would be “sad” to see them go, and that other council members hope to convince them to stay. But, Dennison said they’ll have a vote on accepting the resignations at next week’s meeting if the two haven’t changed their minds.
If Strouse and Biancuzzo do leave, Dennison said the remaining council will have a combined 45 days to appoint a new mayor and two council members. Dennison explained council has 30 days, and then the vacancy board has another 15 days, but the vacancy board is made up of the same people who are on borough council.
If council members can't agree on new appointees, Dennison said the council then has to ask the Court of Common Pleas for help to either appoint new people or to approve the choices made from Clearfield Borough Council members.
